MLA report May 10

Hello Chestermere! Mark your calendars! Lemonade Day is coming on June 9! We will be sponsoring a stand this year as always. If your kids would like to participate call Laurianne Schell at 403-248-5256 or contact the Chestermere Chamber Of Commerce at 403-770-9680. I hope to see you all out there on the 9th supporting this wonderful initiative which teaches kids about business.
I want to first tell you how grateful I am to represent you at the provincial level as your MLA and also as Deputy Leader of the United Conservative Party. I attended and was the one of the Masters of Ceremonies for the biggest party convention in the history of Alberta in Red Deer this past weekend. This was an epic undertaking and more than 2500 people registered, debated, met, and voted in the first United Conservative Party board.

Southern Alberta Director
Cathy Smith
John Voorhorst
Thank you to everyone who put their names forward and campaigned to be on this board. We were very impressed with the amount of work and we look forward to working with all of you.

This event was beautifully put together, and I can say from a personal point of view that I cried, I laughed, and I was inspired. The line up of speakers was just spectacular. Andrew Scheer, federal Opposition Leader, spoke about the odious Liberal “attestation” clause being used to deny summer job funding to many faith-based organizations. The Prime Minister denies funding to organizations like the Mustard Seed while supporting paid protesters against the Kinder Morgan Pipeline. What do we hear on this from Alberta Liberal MPs: crickets. Go figure. We heard from the amazing Heather Forsyth, and then we were blown away by the inimitable Rona Ambrose. She was the youngest woman to ever be appointed to cabinet at that time. Did you know that she also sponsored the resolution for the International Day Of The Girl? She spoke about the strength of women in politics, their gifts, their abilities and what we bring to the table. She is starting a non-profit committee called She Leads to help mentor female candidates. So, for you aspiring politicians out there, this is worth looking into. My favourite line by the Honourable Rona Ambrose was, “Twitter is a sewer for women.” Amen to that!

This was followed the next day with speeches by former Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, and then the Honourable Jason Kenney. These two gentlemen spoke about their love of their provinces, and the fight against prosperity from those who work against our resource development. My favourite Brad Wall quote was that we are not Canada’s “embarrassing cousins” as the Premier is fond of describing us, we are Canada’s supportive Aunties and Uncles, referring of course to transfer payments, and equalization. Mr. Kenney of course spoke out about ending the carbon tax and fighting against the federal carbon tax with allies from Ontario and Saskatchewan. He spoke about the secrecy behind the curriculum, and my favourite line from Mr. Kenney, as that he was putting the Prime Minister on notice: “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you”.
I would like to take a moment to thank Mr. Kenney for standing with the Premier and standing up to the death threats levelled against her, saying that anyone who engages in this behaviour is not welcome in the party. Amen to that as well!
Constituency Associations are the backbone of any political party and since the electoral boundaries have been redrawn there will be some new ones to be established. In the next election, Chestermerians will be voting in the new riding of Chestermere Strathmore. I have registered as a candidate for the nomination as your UCP candidate. Remember, in order to vote in the upcoming meetings to establish the United Conservative Party Constituency Association for the new riding of Chestermere – Strathmore, and then to vote in any Nomination contest, you MUST be a UCP member! To join the UCP for the bargain price of $10, check your membership status, or find out more call or text 587-429-6465 or email voteleela@gmail.com.
As always we love to hear from you!

Written By

Leela Aheer was elected to the Alberta Legislature in the riding of Chestermere-Rocky View. She currently resides in Chestermere and looks forward to using her roots in the community along with her experience in business, and her passion for her community to effectively advocate for her constituents in the Alberta Legislature.